A/N: Malice refers in this chapter to the events described in A little reminder, a one-shot about Zaknafein and Rizzen I wrote some time ago. But I think it's not absolutely necessary to read that one-shot to understand this scene.

Part Four: Rizzen Do'Urden

"I am your patron!" he heard Rizzen say.
"That's of no consequence!" retorted a female voice, the voice of Briza. [... Briza and Rizzen faced off, Rizzen unarmed, but Briza holding her snake-headed whip.
"Patron," Briza laughed, "a meaningless title. You are a male lending your seed to the matron, and of no more importance."
[... Rizzen's next words came out as an indecipherable scream as the six-headed whip went to work again and again. - Homeland

Rizzen tried to shift a bit, but he was not able to find a position that was even halfway comfortable. His wrists were chained to the wall, so high above his head that he couldn't stand properly - only his toes touched the ground. He doubted that he had been here for more than twenty minutes, but the strain in his shoulders was already unbearable. Actually, the strain in his whole body was unbearable. He had no idea how he was supposed to stay like this for the rest of the night.

He winced and shifted again, hoping desperately to ease the pain. When he heard a chuckle behind him, he froze and grew stiff. Malice had left him here after chaining him to the wall, and he had been so focused on his pain that he hadn't heard her come back. Or maybe she hadn't even left the room and just watched him the whole time - Rizzen couldn't be sure, as his field of vision was very limited.

"Pathetic," the high priestess snarled. She sauntered through the room and stopped beside him, her lips close to his ear. "You're already wincing and whining, and the fun hasn't even started yet. It surprises me every time how weak you are, even weaker than other males."

Rizzen bit down on his bottom lip and tried to restrain himself, but he couldn't suppress his trembling. He could feel Malice's breath on his face, and hear the hissing of her snake whip. And he knew all too well that Malice was cruel, even by drow standards.

"Zaknafein never flinched until I started beating him. And even then it always took me a while to make him whimper. Of course, he always screamed in the end, like every useless male, but he was at least a bit challenging," she continued, her voice as nonchalant as if she was talking about the most normal thing in the world. Considering how males were treated in Menzoberranzan, it probably was the most normal thing.

"But you, Rizzen, my pretty little patron, you already start to beg before the first stroke. And as if that wasn't enough, you are also a sorry excuse for a lover. Tying you up has only advantages - you don't know what do to with your hands anyway. Nor with your tongue."

Her fingers were slowly trailing over Rizzen's exposed body, tracing the red welts on his back, before they started to caress his thighs, almost tenderly and immediately drawing a moan from him. Malice just chuckled and dug her long fingernails into the soft flesh.

"You should really wonder why I made you my patron. You're not even half as pretty as Zaknafein or a few other males of this house, your body is nothing compared to a warrior's, and you don't even make up for it with great skill. Do you want to know why I did it?"

"Yes, mistress," Rizzen answered obediently, although he didn't have the slightest desire to hear anything about this. Actually, he wished Malice would just shut up and beat him, that was easier to bear than her insults. He knew that they weren't true - she had always been highly pleased with him - but that did not make it less painful to hear them.

"I wanted to humiliate him, my cocky Weapon Master. And what better way to remind him of his place than to replace him with someone as pathetic as you?" she drawled, rubbing her scantily clad body against his sore back. "I am sure he was very angry about my decision. But you know that better than I, don't you?"

Her voice sounded almost innocent - as innocent as she could manage - but she pressed roughly against the wounds on his back and the bruises on his hips. For once, these marks had not been made by her or another female, but by a male.

Rizzen's eyes widened in shock - how could she know? It had been bad enough to be abused by Zaknafein on the previous day, just after he had been appointed patron, but Rizzen had hoped that it would at least remain a secret. Had Zaknafein told Malice? Or had she simply spied on them, maybe even watched the whole scene?

"He's quite ... well endowed, don't you think?" Malice continued in the same calm tone, while her fingers slid between Rizzen's legs. "In comparison to you, I mean."

The young mage could hardly hold back his tears. He had thought that he had already known every kind of humiliation in his life - being a rather pretty male, no matter what Malice said to taunt him, females had always shown great interest in him. And after getting raped by his greatest rival, Rizzen had thought that things couldn't possibly get worse. How wrong he had been.

"Tell me, did you satisfy him?" she asked, taking a step back to look at him.

Rizzen just stuttered something barely audible, before he cried out when the whip cracked down on his back.

"Answer!" Malice bellowed.

"I think so, Mistress," Rizzen whimpered. Zaknafein was a sick bastard with a clear preference for pretty males, so of course he had enjoyed it.

"So you're at least able to fulfil a male's needs, if you're incapable to satisfy a female," she taunted him. "Maybe you even enjoyed it, didn't you? Say it."

What bit of pride he had left screamed in him, but Rizzen knew very well how Malice would react if he dared to object. There was no point in trying to resist, she would make him say it anyway.

"Yes, mistress, I enjoyed it," he mumbled, but another blow made him repeat his words in a louder voice.

"I thought so," Malice almost purred, watching in fascination how the snake bites on his back were already swelling. "You will be happy to hear then that you'll get to spend more time with him soon. You will go to him tomorrow and offer yourself to him. I'm sure both of you will like that."

"Thank you, mistress," Rizzen managed to whimper. Unlike Zaknafein, he had no desire to provoke Malice and make her only more violent. The idea of offering Zaknafein what the Weapon Master had taken so violently made Rizzen sick. He remembered the pain und humiliation of this act only too well, and for once he almost welcomed the following blows of the whip. Malice had finally fallen silent, and the burning on his back, rear and legs, and whatever other tortures she would think of this night, at least distracted him from the thought of facing Zaknafein and his arrogant, smug grin.